Common heavy metal knowledge holds that Germans specialize in power metal (arguably invented by Teutonic titans Helloween) while the Swedes hold the best cards when it comes to melodic death metal (epitomized by Swedish acts like In Flames and At the Gates), but increasing amounts of crossover have slowly helped blur those distinctions. Such is the case for Laudenbach, Germany's Fragments of Unbecoming -- a melodic death metal band with black metal tendencies including ample use of blastbeats -- and featuring Stefan Weimar (vocals/guitar), Sascha Ehrich (guitar), Wolle Schellenberg (bass), and Ingo Maier (drums). Formed in 2000, the group used a demo, Bloodred Tales: The Crimson Season (2002) to score a deal with Metal Blade Records, and has since released two full-length albums: 2004's Skywards: A Sylphe's Ascension and 2006's Sterling Black Icon. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia